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Ultenic
Living in a cramped Brooklyn apartment with three dogs, two cats, and one messy husband turned me into a vacuum afficianado, as I touched on while reviewing the Proscenic M7 Robot Vacuum a few months back. I keep a handheld vacuum around for my vintage velvet couches, a sturdy upright vac for the hardwood floors and rugs, and the M7 has been picking up the extra slack when I’m feeling lazy.
When Ultenic reached out to offer the chance to review their cordless U11 4-in-1 stand vacuum, I was curious but not sure I’d love it more than the assemblage already living with me. I was wrong.
The compact unit arrived packaged neatly but in need of assembly, so I put my husband to work. I quickly watched him snap it together and realized I was equally capable of doing this, but I’m easily intimidated by that sort of thing.
He propped the finished product up next to our living room side table, and I marveled at how compact and inconspicuous it looked as opposed to the larger machines we keep stashed around the apartment, usually in unwieldy corners of the bedroom and our respective home offices. The base measures just 12 inches across, leaving a tiny footprint from which the thin stick vacuum and detachable heads sprout.
The handheld piece was immediately the function that interested me most because, as I mentioned, I have velvet furniture that I like to keep as hair-free as possible despite its constant use as pet furniture by my lazy senior chihuahuas and very shed-prone cats. I snatched it off the stand and attached the roller brush head, pulled the trigger back once, and the small motor came quietly roaring to life. Compared to my big-time name brand handheld, these were my immediate thoughts:
“Oh, that’s nice, I don’t have to hold the trigger down the whole time!”
“Hmm, this doesn’t seem quite as strong as I’d hoped.”
“Wait, this thing is a touch screen??”
Clearly I’d skipped out on reading the instruction manual, but the touch screen was thrilling for me. Situated on the backside of the vacuum facing you as you clean, you simply tap the screen and the pictorials guide you to increased power and boom–I was back on track.
Even on the highest speed setting, the noise the Ultenic puts out is far less than the more expensive units I have currently and have had in the past. It’s a medium hum at best, but the suction remains powerful enough to pick up all the pesky hairs, food crumbs, and whatever other schmutz ends up on the couches after a couple days of frequent use. The battery seems to last longer than my fancy handheld, too, and the stand acts as its automatic charger so storage and maintaining charge is a breeze.
The full-handled function is also fantastic. To test it, I removed the roller brush attachment (just press a button and voila, it pops off) and inserted the head of the handheld unit into the stick. It clicks on the same way, and the touch screen still does its job giving you extra power options. The swivel head and bright lights were my favorite part, as I was able to move sideways to get into little nooks I’d been incapable of reaching before, and the illumination via lights on the front end REALLY told a story the naked eye had been hiding. Human and dog hairs, dust bunnies, you name it–the Ultenic’s spotlights alerted me to their existence then let me sweep them up with no problem.
As someone with a lot of furniture, I also loved that the swivel head will lie completely flat against the floor so you can get under low-clearance tables and ottomans without getting on your hands and knees. I was able to reach all the way under my couches and reach the wall by simply dropping the handle down and giving it a gentle push into mystery territory. Even if you sweep blindly under a couch and something rattles around (like an earring), you’ll see it as it’s sucked into the clear cannister where it’s easily retrievable.
My husband is an active cleaner around the house, too, and he is thoroughly enjoying the Ultenic U11. His only gripe was that it lacked strength, but as I initially suspected, he simply had not figured out the touch screen function yet. “Oh, this is great in full power mode!” he told me, and prior to that he was already hooked on its versatility and small, easy-to-store size.
So would I recommend this over more popular and pricey brands? Absolutely.
I spent nearly $500 on the designer handheld vacuum I mentioned, yet it recently had to have some repairs after only 2 years of use. That’s in addition to the upright vacuum (same maker) I spent approximately the same dollar amount on, and that one’s only good for floors and cannot get into the tight spaces of the Ultenic. Long story short, it combines the efficacy of $1000 worth of vacuum cleaners I’d bought for just $239, and it takes up about 1/4th of the storage space.
I suggested here for Mother’s Day, but it’s a great gift any time of year for yourself or a loved one who likes a tidy space. Check out the Ultenic U11 for yourself at the link below.
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